Canadian singer-songwriter Bells Larsen has announced the cancellation of his upcoming US tour due to restrictive visa regulations affecting trans individuals.
The decision follows the Trump-era policy requiring all official identification documents—including passports and visas—to list a person’s sex strictly as “male or female.” The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has already begun enforcing the rule.
Larsen, who is trans and has an “M” on his passport, explained via Instagram that the policy means he is no longer eligible for a visa that reflects his gender identity.
“To put it super plainly, because I’m trans (and have an M on my passport), I can’t tour in the States,” he wrote.
He continued, “I hesitate to include a ‘right now’ or an ‘anymore’ at the end of my previous sentence, because – in this sociopolitical climate – I truly don’t know which phrasing holds more truth.”
The cancellation comes just two weeks before the release of his new album, which explores his gender transition — a timing he called “ironic.”
Larsen was set to perform in major US cities this spring, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Refunds will be issued for all ticket holders of the now-cancelled shows.
In the same post, Larsen reflected on possible alternatives he considered, such as touring alongside a cisgender man, limiting performances to liberal-leaning states, and travelling with gender-marked documents. However, he said these ideas became untenable as more “distressing stories, texts and updates” came in.
“Thinking through a trans lens made everything all the more complicated,” he shared, concluding that there was “no way to move forward here.”
Fans flooded his post with messages of support, calling the development “devastating.” One comment, which received over 670 likes, read: “I’m so very sorry. And as an American, so truly embarrassed… I look forward to the day when America is safe for you again.”
Another supporter wrote, “Reading this breaks my heart! You are amazing. Thank you for sharing your story!”
According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, around 16,700 non-binary individuals apply each year for a US passport with an “X” gender marker, representing 1.4% of the country’s estimated 1.2 million non-binary adults.
